Extra Credit: Legos for the Bat-fan

Those devilish Danish block makers from Lego have delivered some great sets for the Batman fan in the family.

First, The Tumbler: The Joker’s Ice Cream Surprise ($49.99) is 449 pieces of exploration into the world of vehicle assembly as builders put together the latest film version of the Batmobile and get one antiquated vehicle for the Clown Prince of Crime.

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Features on the 9-inch long Tumbler include six rubber wheels, firing side and rear missile launchers (rubber coated dart and translucent tipped rockets) and a hinged cockpit canopy.

Uncle Joker’s 5-inch long ice cream truck gets a trigger (shaped as a multi-scoop cone) on top of the truck that launches a missile from its rear doors, colorful stickers and rubber wheels.

My favorite part of the set is the 1.75-inch tall mini-figures and their accessories. The comic book style Joker wields a gag pistol with “bang” flag sticking out of it, the henchman has a pistol and a couple of popsicles and the black and grey garbed Caped Crusader (with soft plastic cape) carries a Batarang and Batcuffs.

Building times vary, I found an 8-year old with minimal help assembled the set in under three hours.

Next, The Batcycle: Harley Quinn’s Hammer Truck ($29.99) is a 267 piece conundrum that, once assembled, allows the Joker’s main squeeze to play Whack a Bat with the Caped Crusader on his powerful cycle.

Once again two vehicles need to be built, each with slick surprises.

Both get rubber wheels, and Harley’s 7-inch long “ATV on steroids” sports a giant hammer that can swing to either side of the truck (controlled with a knob), missile launchers and a compartment to hide the included jewels.

The 4-inch long Batcycle, styled from the “The Dark Knight” designs, looks great but only gets wings and more missile launchers.

Mini-figures of Harley Quinn (of course, she’s packing a hammer and pistol) and the same Batman with accessories, seen in the Tumbler set, are also included.

Assembly time is less than two hours for an excited 8-year old, especially if he first watches any of the Batman: The New Adventures cartoons starring Miss Quinn.

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About the Author

A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in communications, Joseph Szadkowski has written about popular culture for The Washington Times for the past 25 years. He covers video games, comic books, new media and technology.